Dr. Anita Allen; Mableton, Georgia, police chief — Dr. Anita Allen, police chief of Mableton, Georgia

by Selena Hill

October 8, 2026

Dr. Anita Allen Makes History As The First Black Woman Police Chief In Metro Atlanta City

Dr. Anita Allen will lead Mableton’s new police department as the city prepares to hire 70 officers and 10 civilian employees.

Mableton, Georgia, is building its police department from the ground up, and Dr. Anita Allen has been tapped to lead the charge.

The city council unanimously approved Allen as Mableton’s first police chief during a special meeting Oct. 6, marking a major step in the city’s plan to establish its own law enforcement agency. Allen, who currently serves as police chief at Albany State University, brings more than 25 years of law enforcement and public safety experience to the role.

During a press conference, Allen said the assignment is about more than staffing a new agency. Rather, her ultimate mission is to build trust with residents.

“I want to bridge the gap, have community policing, have officers that can come out to the six districts to be able to have a relationship with our community, and so they can trust us, be heard, feel valued,” Allen said, according to Atlanta News First. “Your voice will be heard. We’re going to treat you with integrity and fairness, and we’re going to give you the utmost respect,” she said, adding, “Let’s get to work.”

The department is expected to hire 70 sworn officers and 10 civilian employees as Mableton transitions from law enforcement services provided by Cobb County. The city’s agreement with the county is scheduled to run through June 1, 2027, when the Mableton Police Department is expected to take over public safety operations.

The hiring push is already drawing significant interest. More than 1,500 applications have been submitted since recruitment opened on Oct. 1, according to city officials. The planned compensation package includes a starting salary of $66,000 for academy recruits with a high school diploma or GED, with salaries reaching as high as $81,500 based on experience and education. Officers are also slated to receive 14 holidays, take-home vehicles, and front-loaded paid time off, although the pay scale remains subject to city council ratification.

Allen said she is looking for recruits who bring integrity, professionalism, and compassion to the job.

“I’m looking for these officers with integrity and professionalism, have a compassion to serve, and also be able to come in and build relationships and bridge the gap in the community,” she said.

Allen previously served as president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and has held leadership roles at Albany State University and Fort Valley State University, as well as with the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office.

As Mableton prepares for its new agency, Allen and Public Safety Director Kerry Stallings will oversee hiring, training, and the development of policies and procedures. Training is expected to take place at temporary facilities over the next three to four months while the city works to identify a permanent headquarters.

“This is a historic day for the Mableton Police Department,” Stallings said.

mental health, Hatherleigh Behavioral Health, Mental Illness Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day — (Photo: SDI Productions/Getty Images)

by Sidnee Michelle

October 8, 2026

Hatherleigh Behavioral Health Launches Free Mental Health Training

The initiative launched in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week and ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10.

Hatherleigh Behavioral Health has launched a fully funded mental health awareness training program designed to help everyday people recognize emotional distress and respond when someone may be experiencing a crisis, according to a recent press release.

The initiative launched in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week and ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10. The online, self-paced training is available through First Steps New York and is open to community members, families, educators, employers, and organizational leaders.

Designed for people without a clinical background or professional mental health training, the course takes less than an hour to complete. Participants learn how to identify behavioral, emotional, and physical warning signs that may indicate someone is struggling and how to initiate supportive conversations without judgment.

The program also covers crisis response and suicide awareness, including how to recognize signs that someone may be in immediate danger and take steps to connect them with professional resources.

“Mental health awareness belongs to everyone, yet financial barriers or complex clinical jargon often keep people from learning how to help,” a spokesperson for Hatherleigh Behavioral Health said.

“By opening up these fully funded training scholarships through First Steps New York during Mental Health Awareness Week, our goal is to empower ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference—turning everyday spaces into environments where mental wellness is supported, protected, and prioritized.”

Additional training modules address health and wellness, common misconceptions surrounding psychological well-being, and communication strategies for conversations with people experiencing emotional distress. Participants also learn about local and national support systems that can connect people with professional care.

The program is intended to give people outside the mental health profession practical tools they can use when a family member, friend, colleague, or community member shows signs of distress.

Participants who complete the curriculum receive a certificate of completion, which they can add to resumes, share with employers, or display on professional profiles such as LinkedIn.

The fully funded scholarships are available immediately. Those interested in participating can access the training and claim a free seat through FirstStepsNY.com.

Female AI agents, bias, unequal pay — AI-generated Image

by Selena Hill

October 7, 2026

Female AI Agents Got Paid Less According To New Study

A new study found workers rewarded a female-presenting AI agent 10.25% less than an identical male-presenting counterpart.

Artificial intelligence may not collect a paycheck, but a new study suggests the people working with AI can still bring workplace bias into the equation.

According to The Independent, researchers from the University of Limerick, University of Zurich, and SKEMA Business School found that workers rewarded a female-presenting AI assistant less than a male-presenting assistant—even when both used the same underlying technology and completed the same work.

The study, titled Human-Like and Male? How AI Assistant Design Relates to Trust and Monetary Reward at Work in VR, involved 189 knowledge workers who completed tasks alongside different AI assistants in a virtual reality office. Participants then divided real money between themselves and the AI assistant that helped them complete the work. The result: Johanna, the female-presenting AI agent, received 10.25% less than Johan, the male-presenting agent. Johan was also perceived as more human-like.

Dr. Mary Hausfeld, a co-author of the study, said the technology itself did not explain the difference. “What is striking about our findings is that the technology behind these AI agents was exactly the same, but people did not treat them in the same way.”

Hausfeld said organizations should be careful not to assume AI is inherently neutral. “We often think of AI as being neutral, but the way we design and present these systems can activate those same assumptions and biases that exist in our interactions with other people.”

The study also found that although many participants said an AI assistant’s gender did not matter to them, their evaluations and monetary rewards indicated otherwise. Researchers found that more human-like assistants received greater trust and financial rewards than less human-like systems. That matters as AI agents move beyond simple chatbots and increasingly operate as digital coworkers, assistants, and collaborators. The design choices companies make could influence how employees perceive an AI system’s contribution—and potentially how much value they assign to its work. Hausfeld cautioned that these choices should not be dismissed as mere aesthetics.

“Such choices may affect how much people trust AI, how they judge its contribution, and even how they financially reward it.”

She also warned that organizations should consider the behavior their AI designs may encourage. “We don’t want to inadvertently reproduce existing inequalities in a new technological setting.”

The researchers published their findings in the Proceedings of the 14th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. The study does not establish that female-presenting AI systems will always be valued less, and the experiment was conducted in a controlled virtual environment. Still, the results offer a fresh data point for companies deciding how human—or how gendered—their AI workforce should become.

Welfare Recipient Arkansas, racial backlash — (Photo Credit: YouTube/Screenshot)

by Selena Hill

October 7, 2026

White ‘Welfare Recipient’ In Arkansas Political Ad Sparks Debate

A campaign portraying a young white man as a lazy welfare recipient is receiving backlash from conservatives.

A fictional video-game-playing Medicaid recipient named “Brad” has become a controversial figure in Arkansas’ latest political fight.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently released the campaign ad featuring a young white man as an example of an able-bodied adult who chooses not to work. The imagery drew criticism from conservative commentators who questioned why the fictional recipient was white rather than Black. The backlash has also reopened a decades-old debate about the stereotype historically associated with Black women and welfare.

The ad promotes a new statewide mandate requiring adults between 19 and 64 years old to complete 80 hours per month of work, education, job training, or community service to maintain coverage in the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Medicaid program, or ARHOME, starting Jan. 1, 2027. The federal Medicaid guidance says the requirement can apply to adults with household incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, subject to exemptions. Caregivers, pregnant people, people with certain disabilities, and several other groups may be excluded.

“Republicans don’t have the balls to do this ad with ‘Shaniqua’ as the villain,” posted Matt Walsh, a conservative writer, according to The Associated Press. “Even though that would actually be an accurate portrayal of the problem at hand.”

Likewise, Sean Davis, the co-founder of the Federalist website, argued that “our government has systematically discriminated against white men for decades now, and yet now has the audacity to dishonestly mock young white men as welfare queens.”

Huckabee Sanders, who is up for reelection, “stands by the ad,” Jordan Powell, her campaign manager, said. “We should never confiscate money from hard-working Arkansans to give it away to those who simply choose not to work at all.”

Ange-Marie Hancock, the author of The Politics of Disgust: The Public Identity of the “Welfare Queen,” told the AP that the trope remains “chronically accessible” in the minds of some voters. “The longer race and gendered history really points to ideas that African Americans are lazy; they don’t do the right thing,” she said.

Robert Coon, a managing partner at Arkansas political consulting firm Impact Management Group, called suggestions that the ad should feature a Black recipient “overtly racist” and “inaccurate.”

KFF data shows that in 2024, about 38% of Medicaid beneficiaries ages 0 to 64 nationally were white and nearly 19% were Black. In Arkansas, the shares were about 57% white and 20% Black. The AP reported that about 60% of ARHOME recipients are white and roughly 18% are Black, based on recent Arkansas Department of Human Services data.

Barry Jefferson, president of the NAACP Arkansas State Conference, argued that poverty is more complicated than the stereotypes often attached to public assistance.

“We shouldn’t betray anyone because they are asking for help and they don’t meet your standards,” Jefferson said.

Meanwhile, Arkansas Democratic congressional candidate Chris Jones, who grew up in a family that relied on food stamps, told the AP that a welfare recipient is not “looking for a way out of work,” but “for a way forward.”

Michael Jordan, UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, Deloris P. Jordan, Jordan Family Scholars Program — (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

by Sidnee Michelle

October 7, 2026

Michael Jordan Donates Historic $10M To UNC In Honor Of His Mother

The donation will also support the Jordan Family Scholars Program.

Michael Jordan is donating $10 million to the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, the largest gift in the school’s history, in honor of his mother, Deloris Jordan, the News & Observer reports.

The NBA great and UNC alum announced the gift Oct. 5, continuing a decades-long relationship between the Jordan family and the university. The donation comes 30 years after Jordan helped establish the Jordan Institute for Families with a gift in 1996.

As part of the latest donation, the school’s Global Social Development Innovation Center has been renamed the Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center. Founded in 2017, the center focuses on addressing social challenges affecting marginalized young people worldwide.

“Mom, I love you,” Jordan said in a recorded video played during the announcement. “I’m incredibly proud to honor you in this way.”

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The donation will also support the Jordan Family Scholars Program, which provides financial assistance to students pursuing master’s degrees in social work at UNC. Ten scholars recognized during the announcement will each receive a $12,500 scholarship.

“This gift is really an investment in you: the next generation of social workers,” Jordan said. “The work you’ve chosen to do matters. It changes families, communities, and lives, and we need you here in North Carolina and around the world.”

School of Social Work Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson said the gift could help address a shortage of social workers serving children, older adults, people affected by substance use, and people with intellectual or developmental disabilities in North Carolina.

The investment will also expand opportunities for students to gain international experience. Students will be able to travel to Kenya to work and learn at the Kenya Women’s and Children’s Wellness Center, which Deloris Jordan founded in Nairobi in 2010 to support survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse.

Deloris Jordan has served on the School of Social Work’s Board of Advisors for nearly four decades, supporting the school and its work with families and communities. She said she remains indebted to the university that “adopted my family.”

The announcement, which coincided with Deloris Jordan’s birthday, also kicked off the Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center’s two-day Global Research Symposium focused on global youth development.

Black executives, women leaders — (Photo: Hiraman/Getty Images)

by Sidnee Michelle

October 7, 2026

CAA Names Former NFL Executive Dasha Smith Chief Operating Officer

Smith will bring experience across sports, entertainment, technology, and corporate strategy

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has named longtime sports and media executive Dasha Smith its new chief operating officer, bringing one of the NFL’s top executives into the talent agency’s senior leadership ranks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

CAA announced Smith’s appointment on Oct. 5. She most recently served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer of the NFL, where she served on Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Executive Operating Committee.

In her new role, Smith will bring experience across sports, entertainment, technology, and corporate strategy to CAA, which represents clients across film, television, music, sports, and other industries.

“Dasha is a remarkably talented, accomplished, and energetic leader with a deep understanding of how global organizations operate at their very best,” CAA Co-Chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd said in a statement.

Lourd said the company expects to benefit from Smith’s experience guiding major media and sports organizations.

During her tenure at the NFL, Smith helped shape the league’s enterprise strategy and oversaw a broad portfolio of operations, including technology, artificial intelligence and innovation, data and analytics, business intelligence, human resources, inclusion, social responsibility, philanthropy, and league office administration.

Smith said joining CAA represented an opportunity to work with a company whose approach to serving clients she has long respected.

“I have tremendous respect for the industry leadership position that CAA and its management team continue to build on every year,” Smith said in a statement. “Joining a culture with that kind of clarity and purpose is an extraordinary opportunity.”

Before joining the NFL, Smith served as executive vice president and global chief human resources officer at Sony Music Entertainment. She also worked as managing director in the Office of the Chairman at global alternative investment firm GCM Grosvenor.

Earlier in her career, Smith spent nearly a decade at Time Inc., where she led global employee relations and employment law functions. She also worked as a senior attorney in the company’s business and legal affairs department, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Smith began her legal career at several law firms, including Latham & Watkins, Covington & Burling, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

She currently serves on the boards of financial advisory firm CAPTRUST and investment management firm Cohen & Steers. She is a trustee for nonprofit organizations focused on education and the arts.

Gun club, Atlanta, Black women — photo credit: pexels

by Sidnee Michelle

October 7, 2026

Black Women In Atlanta Turn To Gun Clubs Amid Safety Concerns

Brown said the organization began seeing another increase in interest last year, with a disproportionate number of new members being Black women.

Black women in metro Atlanta are increasingly joining gun clubs and seeking firearms training as concerns about personal safety and the nation’s political climate fuel renewed interest in gun ownership, Capital B Atlanta reports.

Several Atlanta-area firearms organizations have reported increased membership and demand for training since 2024, particularly among Black women, the outlet says. The growth follows a post-pandemic slowdown after firearm ownership surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd.

Larry Brown, president of the Bass Reeves Gun Club, the founding chapter of the National African American Gun Association, said the organization has about 700 active members. Its Facebook membership has grown from roughly 200 to 300 people when Brown joined in 2017 to about 1,400.

Brown said the organization began seeing another increase in interest last year, with a disproportionate number of new members being Black women.

“I think it’s just the political climate. Uncertainty with where the country is going,” Brown told the outlet.

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Interest is also growing at A Girl & A Gun’s Atlanta chapter. Chapter leader Daphne Enmon said the group, which is majority Black, has tripled in size over the past two years and is approaching 200 members.

“Women join every week, predominantly Black women,” Enmon said.

Gun sales among Black Americans have been rising for years. Black Americans accounted for 32% of new target shooters in a 2024 analysis from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association.

For some women, the motivation goes beyond learning to shoot.

Kia Glenn, director of social media and marketing for the National African American Gun Association and leader of its Queens of Defense group, said members are increasingly interested in hunting, food cultivation, and other survival skills.

The trend comes as Georgia’s gun laws have also changed. In 2022, the state enacted a law allowing eligible gun owners to carry concealed firearms without obtaining a permit.

As interest grows, leaders of Black gun organizations say education remains central to their work. Groups such as Bass Reeves provide firearms training focused on developing responsible, knowledgeable gun owners.

Ty Barnes, NorthStar Logistics, The Delivery Protection Act

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 7, 2026

I Left A Secure Career To Build Economic Opportunity In The Bronx; A New Bill Could Upend That

The stakes are especially high at a time when Black unemployment is rising.

Written By Ty Barnes

A few years ago, I made a decision that many people in my circle thought was crazy. I walked away from a comfortable, secure career in corporate America to start a local delivery company right here in New York City.

I named my company NorthStar Logistics for a reason. As the story of the Underground Railroad has long been told, enslaved people looked to the North Star as a guide toward freedom. For me, that name represents what I want this company to be: a path toward economic freedom for people from the same communities I came from. I wanted to build something that could give people a way forward.

Now, a new law could drag us backward. The Delivery Protection Act would ban large companies from using independent contractors like me and require them to hire last-mile delivery workers—my current employees. If the bill passes, my business will be forced to shut down.

The consequences would reach far beyond me. For Black New Yorkers, the stakes are especially high at a time when Black unemployment is rising, and the racial wealth gap remains wide. The latest jobs report shows Black unemployment jumped to 7% in September, nearly twice the rate for white workers. The increase was even sharper for Black women, whose unemployment rate rose to 7.3% in September, up from 5.9% in August.

My company employs hundreds of local residents. Up to 90% of my delivery team lives in the five boroughs where they work. Economic opportunity is especially important in these communities, particularly as Black workers face growing job insecurity.

That is why employees at NorthStar start at almost $25 with great benefits – 45% above the city’s minimum wage – and why I spend so much of my time and effort supporting employee education and career advancement to ensure they have strong economic mobility. I have supported employees who start as drivers and move into management. I have helped employees pay for job exams and tuition. Some former employees have gone on to become MTA bus operators, police officers, and pharmacists. Others have earned their commercial driver’s licenses and moved toward careers they once thought were out of reach. My work has even earned me inclusion on the NY Unsung Hero list for 2026.

If I’m forced to close, my employees will no longer receive the Sunday meals I provide, and I won’t be able to support an organization in the Bronx that feeds the homeless through my nonprofit. My employees know they are more than a number to me. I know their names, and I know their families.

The bill could also push delivery operations outside New York City. That would mean longer commutes for workers and could make it harder for people who live in the Bronx and other outer-borough communities to keep these jobs.

For me, there are other personal costs. I am the sole provider for a family member with special needs. Some of the medical care my family needs is not covered by insurance, and my business gives me the ability to pay those costs. My company also supports District 75 public schools, which serve students with special needs. If the business disappears, that financial support disappears too.

I understand why supporters want stronger protections for delivery workers. I want workers to have good jobs and fair treatment. But I don’t believe we should achieve that goal by wiping out the small businesses that created these opportunities in the first place.

This is what economic disenfranchisement looks like. A person takes a risk, builds a business, and creates a path for other people. Then a policy can come along and take that path away.

I took a risk on New York City because I believed in what could happen when people from our communities get the chance to build something of their own. I still believe that.

City Council members need to understand what is at stake before they move forward with this bill. They should sit down with small delivery business owners and listen to what happens to our workers if our companies disappear. We live in a democracy, and in a democracy, everyone has a voice and should be heard. This sweeping bill will end small businesses for the sake of driving direct employment from Amazon, which makes it possible for the unions backing this bill to come in and force unionization of delivery drivers.

If the goal is to protect working people, then we need to protect their opportunities too.

For Black and Brown New Yorkers, economic opportunity cannot be treated as disposable. We are still working to close a racial wealth gap that has existed for generations. We are still trying to create businesses that can support families and give the next generation a better starting point.

I built NorthStar because I wanted to be a beacon for people who needed to see a way forward. City Hall should not turn that light off.

Ty Barnes is the owner of NorthStar Logistics, a premier, top-rated Amazon delivery service partner specializing in last-mile delivery.

A$AP Rocky, Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU) — A$AP Rocky Announces Roc Nation School Scholarship

by Selena Hill

October 7, 2026

A$AP Rocky Launches Full-Tuition Scholarship At Roc Nation School

A$AP Rocky is giving one young leader a full-tuition path to the Roc Nation School at LIU.

A$AP Rocky is backing the next generation of entertainment talent.

The artist, entrepreneur, actor, and fashion icon announced a four-year, full-tuition scholarship for one first-time freshman attending the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU). The scholarship is designed to give a student more than a college education. According to a press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE, the recipient will study at the Roc Nation School while gaining access to an environment that connects classroom learning with real-world opportunities across the entertainment industry.

“I’m a big believer in creating your own lane and giving people the opportunity to do the same,” A$AP Rocky said in a statement. “There are so many talented young people with ideas, ambition and something important to say. This scholarship is about helping one of them turn that vision into something real.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives looking to build careers in music, sports, entertainment, and related industries, the scholarship offers a potential route into an institution built around those fields. Applications are currently open and close Dec. 15, 2026. Eligible applicants must be first-time freshmen seeking enrollment at the Roc Nation School for Fall 2027. Application details are available through LIU’s application portal.

The scholarship adds to a broader effort by artists and entertainment leaders to support students at the Roc Nation School.

Other artists with established partnerships include DJ Khaled, Megan Thee Stallion, NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball, and Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Young Guru, who have also established scholarships for students at the school. Young Guru additionally serves as director of the Music Technology, Entrepreneurship & Production program.

Founded by hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, the Roc Nation School opened at LIU Brooklyn campus in Fall 2021. The school offers programs designed to prepare students for careers in entrepreneurship, music, sports business, management, performance, and other areas taught by university faculty, industry leaders, and guest lecturers.

The school also provides Roc Nation Hope Scholarships to 25% of enrolled students, allowing recipients to graduate with four-year, full-tuition support; these scholarships go to academically competitive, New York-based first-time freshmen with the highest financial need.

For students hoping to turn creative ambition into a career, Rocky’s scholarship adds another opportunity to make that lane a little more accessible.

film festival, Jamaica, master classes, The Negril Universal Film Festival (NUFF), Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) — Photo by MCK: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sea-dawn-sunset-beach-14667382/

by Ida Harris

October 7, 2026

Cinema Meets Paradise: The Negril Universal Film Festival Brings ‘NUFF’ Screen Magic To Jamaica’s 7 Mile Beach

The annual gathering addresses a pivotal moment for regional entertainment.

The Negril Universal Film Festival (NUFF) returns to the iconic Seven Mile Beach from Oct. 8–11, 2026. The four-day event, hosted at the Skylark Negril Beach Resort, will transform Westmoreland’s world-famous shore into an open-air cinematic experience, uniting international audiences, local creators, and industry luminaries to celebrate the trajectory of Caribbean and global visual storytelling.

The annual gathering addresses a pivotal moment for regional entertainment: bridging creative vision with commercial viability. Organized by the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) alongside international partners, NUFF showcases 34 films from 13 countries and offers targeted master classes on emerging media, capital acquisition, and distribution networks.

Negril Universal Film Festival Will Merge Culture and Industry on Seven Mile Beach

With Jamaica’s recent introduction of a dedicated national film fund, the Negril Universal Film Festival reinforces Seven Mile Beach not merely as a resort destination, but as a catalyst for Jamaican cinema and international film festival screenings. By positioning projection screens against the tide of Seven Mile Beach, NUFF is bringing together artistic consumption with island culture. Attendees will engage with programming under the stars while accessing specialized educational panels during the day.

“Picture this: You’re on the Seven Mile Beach in Negril, and there’s a huge screen on the beach… You’re sipping your cocktails, and you’re watching cinema—regional and Jamaican cinema,” Nadean Rawlins, Negril Universal Film Festival (NUFF) Board Member and President of JAFTA, told Smile Jamaica TV. “You take that cocktail, you go up to the yoga deck, and you hear about vertical filmmaking, or you hear about how a director produces or directs his film. That is the Negril Universal Film Festival. It’s an amalgamation of cinema, industry, music… coming together and celebrating film.”

The 2026 program opens on Oct. 8 with a retrospective presentation of Stephanie Black’s Life and Debt, marking the 25th anniversary of the film that explores economic station. Subsequent nights highlight a tribute to musical icon Jimmy Cliff, Storm Saulter’s Possession, and the Jamaican premiere of Reggae Girlz, a film co-directed by Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Caribbean Journal reported. The festival concludes Oct. 11 with the maternal health documentary Listen to Me, followed by a public policy discourse featuring Jamaican Health Minister Christopher Tufto.

Nadean Rawlins, Negril Universal Film Festival (NUFF) Board Member and President of JAFTA, joined Hyperlens Studios Co-founders Richard Lawson and Denee Busby-Howard to discuss the rise of vertical filmmaking, what filmmakers and audiences can expect from this year’s festival. pic.twitter.com/T2CdFNo97K
— Smile Jamaica (@Smilejamtvj) October 5, 2026

Industry Master Classes Will Be Available for Independent Filmmakers in the Caribbean

As Caribbean media ecosystems evolve beyond traditional models, independent filmmakers face unique hurdles in capitalizing production and monetizing intellectual property. NUFF’s daytime curriculum directly addresses these structural gaps through master classes led by global experts who will cover fiscal execution.

“My role in the master class is to tell [attendees] how to make money as an independent filmmaker,” said Denee Busby-Howard, cofounder of Hyperlens Studio. “And let them know that there’s available tools and resources that they can put in action right now.

Busby continued: “I’m talking about tax credits from their government. I’m talking about resources from investors and private equity. I’m talking about real resources and tools that can help them make those films and distribute those films.”

Veteran director Richard Lawson will deliver a class on short-form filming, pointing to vertical video formats as high-growth avenues for contemporary creators.

“So this is a new market that’s available for creators who otherwise would not get a chance to show us their wares, Lawson said.” “And we’re going to give them the way to think about it, the way to do it, how to direct it, how to write it, how to produce it.”